Awaz Saud
Hasaka, Syria

I am Awaz Saud Ahmed, a Syrian refugee born in 2007 in the Hasaka governorate, specifically in a small village called Tuiba. When I was 6 years old, my family and I had to leave our home due to the insecurity caused by the ISIS war. We moved to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in search of safety.After arriving in Iraq, my family and I were first placed in Arbat Refugee Camp. Ten months later, we were relocated to Barika Refugee Camp in Sulaymaniyah, a camp supported by UN efforts. We've been living here for more than ten years now.

Despite the challenges of living in a refugee camp, I have always been determined to develop my talents. Even though I wasn't in the ideal environment to support my dreams, I never gave up and continue to seek opportunities to grow and improve.

At the heart of every person are memories—treasures that capture moments of happiness, comfort, and the essence of being alive. These memories are not just images in our minds; they are sanctuaries we turn to when reality becomes overwhelming. For many refugees, these memories are all they have left of the lives they were forced to leave behind.War doesn’t only destroy buildings; it disrupts entire lives. Refugees are left with memories of loved ones, homes they had little time to cherish, and futures that were suddenly altered. What remains are these memories—fragments of a life they can no longer live.

These memories become a refuge, a place to return to when the present feels unbearable. In them, refugees find a semblance of the happiness they once knew, offering a temporary escape from the hardships of their new lives, where freedom feels distant.